Originally Posted by Otterbox

This question has come up before surprisingly and the answer was yes, at least in theory, but stars may have to align for things to happen the way you propose.

You can get everything done prior to the ATP practical before your 21st birthday, but how far in advance of that they’re willing to hire you, if they’re willing, will depend on delays in the training pipeline etc.

As others have said, a lot can happen in two years if you want to wait to apply. Your other option is to look into being a cadet with Piedmont which you can do as early as 500hrs with CFI as long as you’re employed by a partner school.

I don’t agree that Piedmont will cease to exist in two years as some predict and some Union council members have suggested if the pilot group doesn’t vote “yes” on the current TA... the company hired over 2000 folks on the ground handling side where it brings AAG massive cost savings, even undercutting Envoys ground services in some areas. The pilot side of the house is a relatively small piece of the puzzle operations wise even though Piedmont is well known for its flight ops side of the house these days.

Last number I heard for pilots was a goal of 1100 pilots by Q4 2019. At current growth rate 1100 pilots won’t be possible for another 47 months, and attrition seems to picking up on the captain side so something in the hiring/training dynamic will have to significantly change for those number to become even close to reality, especially with 150ish pilots projected to leave/retire between now and end of Q4 2019.

The recent TA missed the mark and failed to meet the mandate the pilot group sent the union into negotiations with. It’s yet to be seen if it will pass, and how it’s passing/failing will affect retention of current folks on property.

The next two years will be interesting as the company attempts to balance cost neutrality with increasing initiatives for pilot recruitment and retention as the supply of pilots contracts as AA WO fall further behind in pay and QOL and demand for regional pilots increase at other flying jobs which pay significantly more.

What’s that above all mean to someone 19? Not a whole lot at the moment. However, If you want to live in Philly or Charlotte, don’t mind working a lot, and want to be at a legacy by the time you’re 30 then Piedmont is still a good option for you. Whether or not it will be the best option in the next couple of years remains to be seen.